


If Ever There's a War

by Sutured_Sentiment



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Forever Evil (Comics), Grayson (Comics), Nightwing (Comics), Under the Red Hood
Genre: Angst, Bruce Wayne (mentioned) - Freeform, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Fake Character Death, JayDick Week, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, bruised and bloody, post-forever evil, pre-spyral
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2019-01-10 01:24:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12288276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sutured_Sentiment/pseuds/Sutured_Sentiment
Summary: After the events of Forever Evil, Dick is preparing himself to leave Gotham to infiltrate the organization known as Spyral.There's no way in hell he's leaving without saying goodbye to the person who matters most.Short one-shot written for JayDick Week 2017- Day Five: Bruised and Bloody





	If Ever There's a War

    Dick’s legs were heavy as he stumbled across Gotham’s rooftops, taking extra care to keep to the shadows. His pulse pounded painfully loud in his head and his limbs ached with every step he took. The brisk night air bit at his face and seeped into his weary bones. What he wouldn’t give to be in his apartment sleeping the night away in his warm bed. He didn’t think he had ever been this tired.

   He didn’t give it much more thought, though, as the night’s events continued to play through his head. He could still feel Bruce’s fists like stones across his arms and back, could still hear his voice as he told him Dick Grayson was dead.

    He growled under his breath as he picked up his pace, ignoring the spikes of pain it shot up his legs. It would soon be morning and he would be leaving Gotham behind for who knew how long. There was no way in hell he was leaving without saying goodbye, no matter what Bruce had to say about it.

    By the time he reached the familiar building, he was breathing heavily and his muscles were screaming at him. He swung over the side of the roof onto the fire escape below, landing with a loud clang on shaky legs. If the building’s residents weren’t awake before, they were now. He hurried over to the window he had climbed through so many nights before, and carefully slid it open. He fell into the room, barely landing on his feet. It was dark, but he could clearly make out the gleaming metal of the gun pointed between his eyes. There was a heavy pause before the man on the other end of it spoke, his voice thick with emotion.

    “D-Dick?” He felt something clench in his chest at the sound of it. He hated hearing that familiar voice sound so… broken. He could feel the lump forming in his throat. He bit his lip as the gun was slipped into the man’s waistband and the room was suddenly flooded with light. He blinked away the black dots dancing across his vision and there stood Jason. Dick’s heart broke as they took in the sight of each other.     Jason looked just as drained as Dick felt. There were bags under his eyes like dark bruises standing out stark against his pale skin. His shoulders were slumped in defeat, like he had been carrying the weight of the world for far too long. His dark hair was a swept mess and his clothes were in disarray. He looked miserable.

    “You… you’re dead… I thought-” Jason cut himself off as he stared at Dick, his eyes roving over his entire form, sharp and calculating. Dick looked away. He didn’t need anyone else telling him he was dead. Jason stepped forward and reached up hesitantly, cupping Dick’s face in his hands as he gently coaxed his head back up to look at him. They were warm and Dick nuzzled into them.

    “When I saw you on that screen… I thought… I thought you were dead, that they had taken you from us.” Dick shook his head, reaching and placing his hands over Jason’s.

    “I’m alive,” he said quietly. He didn’t know if he was trying to reassure Jason or himself. He felt his eyes start to burn. He had come so close to never seeing Jason again. A prisoner to a Justice League turned bad, he had promised himself that if he got out, he would never leave the man’s side ever again. He would always be there to protect him, the man he had come to love. Almost everything had been taken from him… and now he was leaving again.

    “Damn it,” he muttered as he leaned forward and pressed his forehead to Jason’s, letting his eyes slip closed. He wanted this moment to last forever. He didn’t want to leave, but he knew he didn’t have a choice. _For them._ He felt Jason’s arms come up to wrap around him in a tight hold. Dick tensed and took a shuddering breath. _Damn it, damn it, damn it!_

    “I-I can’t stay.” Jason leaned back slightly to look at him, brows furrowed in confusion.

    “What the hell are you talking about,” he demanded, though not unkindly.

    “There’s an organization out there called Spyral. They’re working to uncover all of your secret identities. Bruce wants me to stay dead so I can infiltrate them,” he explained slowly, waiting for the inevitable outburst. Jason’s eyes narrowed and he pulled away completely.

    “Was this before or after he beat you up?” He was eyeing the many bruises that littered his skin, and Dick fidgeted uncomfortably under his intense gaze.

    “You wound me, Little Wing. Beat up? I’m not so easily beaten,” he replied with a weak imitation of his usual grin. It didn’t meet his eyes and Jason frowned.

    “You don’t have to do this, Dick. Stay here with me. We can figure this whole thing out. We can fix it. Just like we always do.” Dick sighed. It would be so easy. It would be easy to say to hell with Bruce and his plans. He could find someone else to play spy. But he knew it had to be him. He couldn’t stay, no matter how much he wanted to.

    “I want to. Believe me, Jay. I want to more than you know. But I have to go.” He turned back to the window he had come through. He felt like he had aged thirty years as he climbed onto the sill. He glanced back over his shoulder. Jason didn’t move an inch. His face was torn between angry and pleading. Dick wanted nothing more than to take him in his arms and never let go. Instead he turned his face back to look out over the dark city that had been his home for so long.

    “Dick Grayson is dead.” And without another word, he leapt out into the night, trying desperately to ignore the pulling of his heart and the burning at his eyes. His body ached, and for once he welcomed it as Jason’s apartment became smaller in the distance and the first rays of sun began peeking over the horizon.

_Dick Grayson is dead._

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry if they seemed a little out of character...  
> But, I think after everything they've both been through, they deserve to be emotional.


End file.
